I was shore diving recently at one of our local training sites looking for seahorses when I was approached by some Western King Wrasse. These can be quite inquisitive and often hang around divers hoping that our finning will stir up some tasty tit bit. Occasionally, they seem to get attracted to their reflections in your mask. This can often lead to some neat photo ops , so I wasn't that bothered when a couple came right up to my face. I was able to get quite a good view of the needle sharp teeth in their mouths and was floating there, thinking "This is quite cool!" ,when suddenly, their was a sharp sting on my cheek. I turned my head slightly to find a medium sized female backing away. Then there was another sting on my other cheek, the first fish had darted forward and taken a nip. I turned my head again and the second one darted forward and had another bite. By now, several more had joined and I started to think "This is becoming not cool", so I began to back off. The fish, of course, followed. Now about six or seven were darting in to take little nips or were worrying away at my fingertips where my gloves have worn through. I retreated further, and the fish followed. Their attacks becoming more and more brazen.
Eventually, I decided that discretion is the better part of valour and a class of OW students were greeted to the sight of a 6', 150lb twinset wearing diver finning away at top speed, hotly pursued by a group of darting foot long wrasse!
When I surfaced and looked at my face in my signalling mirror I had about a dozen small cuts oozing blood down either side of my face. Had I not been wearing a hood I would probably have come off even worse.
I have dived that particular site , with those particular fish, dozens of times, before and since, and have never had a problem. Why they took such a dislike, or liking () to me on that one occasion I have no idea but it reinforced to me the idea that it is the 'little buggers' that you've got to be most wary of!